It’s not only a paperless, Earth-friendly way to send your holiday well wishes out, it’s also budget friendly – 30-second videos are free, full-length videos cost just $3, and an annual subscription is only $30; high-resolution downloads are just $5 and DVDs cost $20.

The above video took me about 10 minutes or so to make, which included importing photos from a SmugMug gallery (a very cool feature that’s integrated within Animoto).

Animoto Press Release

New York, NY (December 1, 2009) – Animoto® (http://animoto.com), the video creation website that lets anyone quickly and easily create professional-quality videos from their own photos, video clips, music and text, today launched Animoto video greetings, the most fun, personal and easy way to send online holiday cards this year. Animoto greeting cards turn people’s 2009 memories into action-packed one-of-a-kind holiday greetings that can be shared with family and friends online in a multitude of ways.

“We cherish the holiday tradition of sharing greeting cards but wanted to enhance the experience,” said Brad Jefferson, CEO and co-founder of Animoto. “In a fraction of the time, effort and cost of sending traditional holiday cards, Animoto video greetings are as easy and fun to create as they are to share, and are sure to make a memorable impact on your loved ones this holiday season.”

· Pop-up Pandemonium – a pop-up card turns into a pop-up world of hidden wonder and surprise. Where will your pictures & video clips pop up next?

· Starry Night – images embark on a whimsical odyssey over land and sky, through rich textures and warm holiday scenery.

· Pandora’s Gift Box – a surprise-filled gift box erupts into a shower of lights, colors, and wrapping, taking your pictures and video clips along for the ride.

To create an Animoto holiday greeting, users simply upload their images and video clips, add optional text, and pick a soundtrack, upon which Animoto returns a unique, energetic and emotional video orchestration. The heart of Animoto is its Cinematic Artificial Intelligence™ technology that thinks like an actual director and editor, using the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television and film. The technology takes into account every nuance of a song: the genre, song structure, energy, rhythm, instrumentation, and vocals. Once created, videos are produced in widescreen format and can be emailed, embedded on any website, shared via social network and mobile device, or downloaded in DVD-quality formats for display on computers, televisions, and even large projection screens.

Animoto holiday cards are an inexpensive and earth-friendly alternative to traditional greeting cards. 30-second videos are free to create and share, while full-length videos cost $3. Annual subscriptions to create an unlimited number of full-length videos are $30. Users can also download videos in DVD-quality for $5 or order a physical DVD for $20, making for perfect stocking stuffers.

In the month of December, users who purchase an All-Access Pass will receive a free $5 DVD download credit to store videos on their computers, burn them to DVD and allow them to be viewed by friends and family online in DVD quality.

For more information, please visit http://animoto.com or http://animoto.com/holidays.

About Animoto

The founders of Animoto ProductionsÔ include veterans of the entertainment industry who share a passion for helping people better share their stories and express themselves through online media by innovating technologies in the field of video production. Animoto Productions, founded in August 2006, is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco. Visit http://animoto.com.